Shame
by Antiope
Summary: Angel and his posse are at alert when some new vampires ride into town, and one has a secret agenda, that will surprise even Angel himself...
1. Their Arrival

I own no part of Angel, the series, and make no claim to it. The plot is mine, and I am sorry if it is similar to anyone else's.  
  
Their Arrival.  
  
The sweetness of the night was interrupted by the angry grunts and snarls coming from a waterfront warehouse, its lights dim and shadows flickering across the tinted and grimy windows. Inside the warehouse, four vampires sat around a circular table, each holding several playing cards in their hands. Two vampires furiously threw their cards on the table, their cards useless. The remaining two looked suspiciously at each other from behind their cards. The remaining vampire with blonde hair put his cards down on the table, and announced smugly, "Two Pair." The other vampire laughed and slammed his cards down in the middle of the table. "Ha, four of a kind beats two pair!" His poker partner growled in anger and tossed the table aside. "You cheated!" he accused. "I found the girl; I should be allowed to drink."  
  
A young girl with blonde hair and green panic-stricken eyes looked up from where she was bound and gagged. Her muffled screams were beginning to arouse the group's hunger, and one rushed forward to claim the prize as his own. A fight ensued, as they all fought for the privilege of taking the final kill. The door to their lair opened, and five beefy guys dressed in black entered, followed closely by two figures in hooded black cloaks. One of the figures walked forward and slowly removed the hood, revealing a beautiful black haired woman. "How pathetic. Millions of other souls out there and you are in here fighting over this one little morsel?"  
  
"Who the hell are you?" one of the vampires demanded. The woman made a loud tsk, tsk sound at the back of her throat. "Such bad manners. Didn't your maker teach you how to behave yourself?" She smiled mockingly at them. The blonde vampire was the first to attack. She blocked his clumsy movements easily, and sent him sailing over her head, and he was immediately staked by one of the black clothed guys. Two vampires moved forward to attack the woman, one in front of her, the other circled behind. What followed was quick. The vampire in front of her moved to punch, the other tried to wrap his arms around her neck. The woman back kicked the second vampire and doubled her upper body forward, so that the assailant in front missed her completely and fell across her back. She then jackknifed upwards so that the vampire was tossed over her shoulders and onto his back. The fallen vampire jumped back up, and he and his companion were jump kicked backwards into the woman's entourage. Seconds later, they exploded in dust, with two beefy guys holding the end of the stakes.  
  
The woman turned to the last remaining vampire, who had resolved himself to cower in a corner. "Who are you lady?"  
  
The woman smiled. "My name is Elizabeth. Lady Elizabeth to you and all your vampire friends." The vampire nodded emphatically. "Lady Elizabeth. Right. What do you want?"  
  
Elizabeth's eyes froze into glacial blue orbs. "I want you to tell every vampire you meet, that Lady Elizabeth is in town. Some of them will not know what you are talking about, but for the others." She walked over to the vampire as he tried to melt into the wall. Elizabeth took his hand, and he watched her eyes flash red. He let out an ear splitting scream as his hand under hers began to smoke and sizzle. She released his hand and he sobbed over it. Imprinted in his burned flesh was the image of an elaborate crest, with the faces of demons, and just below it, something that looked much like a bird's wing. "Show them that. Those select few will know what it means."  
  
The vampire fled the warehouse still cradling his burned hand. Elizabeth turned her attention to the bound and gagged woman. She lifted her to her feet and removed the gag and freed her from the ropes. Tears streamed down the girl's face as she thanked the woman over and over again. Elizabeth smiled. "It was no problem dear." Just as the last word left her lips, Elizabeth grabbed the girl by the shoulders, and pressed her lips to her neck. The girl could only mutter one scream before she lost consciousness, and sagged against Elizabeth's body.  
  
"Enough mother," a soft melodious voice said. Elizabeth looked over toward the voice, her face twisted and horrible, the face of a vampire. The second cloaked figure that had remained silent the whole time now strode forward and removed her hood. Curly black hair, warm brown eyes and perfect creamy skin appeared from under it's hood. More beautiful than even her mother, the girl's melancholy expression did not take away from her breathtaking looks. "You can have your fun later. We are here for a reason. Once our mission is complete, you all can have all the fun you want." Elizabeth and the others smiled menacingly. Elizabeth broke her victim's neck before letting her fall to the floor and following her daughter out of the warehouse, the men trailing after them. 


	2. The Discovery

I own no part of Angel, the series, and claim no rights. The plot is mine, and sorry if it is anyone else's.  
The Discovery.  
  
"Son of a-!" The vampire got no farther as the stake passed through his heart and he exploded in a cloud of dust. The vampire nest's inhabitants scrambled to escape or kill their attackers. From the other side of the warehouse, three figures crashed through the crumbling wall, axes, stakes and swords. What followed was furious and intense. Finally, a shaggy golden brown haired boy turned to the last of the vampires, stake in hand. The vampire had a crazed look in his eye, and the group noticed a symbol burned into his hand. A black haired man with short spiked hair and dark brooding aura around him stopped the boy by grabbing his arm. With a short look, the boy retreated back to the group and the older man walked forward slowly.  
  
"I know who you are. You're that vampire with a soul, the one that protects the cattle," the vampire snarled.  
  
Angel smiled. "It is NOT a good idea to piss off the guy with the sword." He brandished a sword from beneath his long black leather coat. With lightning quickness, the blade was underneath the vampire's neck, a dangerous position for the now frightened vamp. "Now...a couple of nights ago, the body of a woman was found in the lower warehouse district, a part of town your little nest of friends hung out. So, you could spill your guts yourself, or..." Angel added pressure to the sword, and the vampire's eyes bulged out, "I'll do it for you."  
  
"If I tell you, will you let me go?" the vampire asked. Angel shook his head in a negative motion. "Then why should I talk?"  
  
"Tell us what you know, and your death will be quick, don't and we guarantee it will be slow, and excruciatingly painful," Angel replied.  
  
"Damnit, my luck sucks this week," the vampire growled. "Look man, all I know is me and my friends are playing some cards to see who gets the girl, next thing I know, some woman comes in with a bunch of her cronies and my pals are dusted. She gives me a wicked burn," he lifted his hand, "and told me to spread the word of her coming."  
  
"What was the woman's name?"  
  
Both Angel and his captive looked over toward the timid voice. Winifred, known to her friends as Fred, looked at both of them, her puppy dog eyes wide, innocent, and curious.  
  
The vampire cleared his throat. "She called herself Lady Elizabeth. I don't know much else about her, but when I showed the burn to some people, they freaked."  
  
Angel took the vampire's hand, and ignored the whimper of pain, as he examined the burn. "Wes," he called. The British man walked over and peered over Angel's shoulder.  
  
"The crest doesn't seem familiar, but I am sure we can research it," Wes stated in his new I-don't-care-about-anything manner.  
  
"Good." Angel turned away, and replaced his sword to his side. He came up beside the boy, who after all this time still watched the shaken bad vampire with half closed lids, scowling. Angel paused. "Oh yeah." He turned back to the vampire. "I'm sorry. Forgot." Angel glanced over to his son.  
  
"Ah, this blows. My life sucks," the vampire protested before disappearing into a pile of dust.  
  
...  
  
~*Beneath the City of Angels, they hid. After looking for several days, they had found a lair suitable to their needs. Much similar to a cave, it had a pool at the far end that ran off into the main drains like a stream. Pacing back and forth, Elizabeth contemplated her daughter as she laying on a huge boulder-like slab, staring at the ceiling. "Aren't you in the least bit bored?"  
  
Without moving or looking away, her daughter replied simply, "No."  
  
Grinning, Elizabeth walked over and sat beside her daughter. "How about we go out to a club and pick out a nice little boy for you to play with."  
  
Once again, her daughter replied, "No."  
  
Elizabeth stood up and screamed, "What the hell is your damn problem? We are in Los fucking Angelos, and you only let us out once to establish that we are here, and now you keep us down here in this hovel of a lair. We are killers," she remarked as her daughter rose to a sitting position. "We are here to drink, to kill, to destroy, to torture...not to sit in a little bat cave and wait for a sign that He knows we are here!"  
  
The cave was filled with a tense silence before the girl said quietly, "Will you all get out? I must speak with my mother."  
  
Without pausing, the male vampires filed out quickly, and Elizabeth turned her head to the side to watch the last leave. When she turned her face back around again, her daughter was mere inches away from her. The girl searched her mother's face for several moments, her constant melancholy expression all over the girls face. Without warning, Elizabeth was propelled backwards and hit the wall with a painful thud. The girl's hands were at her mother's throat, and Elizabeth gasped in fear as she was lifted high against the wall, her feet dangling in mid-air. In a soft, dangerous voice, her daughter whispered, "Don't you ever question me again. Need I remind you mother, but it is you who placed yourself in bad standing with your husband that forced us to run in the first place. I will not let your stupidity and thoughtless actions destroy my plans."  
  
Elizabeth swallowed. "And what exactly are your plans?"  
  
Her daughter smiled, the image making her seem more beautiful, if only the underlying pain were absent from her eyes. Her grip on her mother's throat tightened, and Elizabeth winced. "That is none of your concern. Do as you are told and I will keep you around. Do not forget who saves your ass time after time. Once this is over with, we will all be free...finally free."  
  
Elizabeth frowned as her daughter's eyes filled with wistfulness, then once again became hard and emotionless. "You mess this up and you are on your own."  
  
Elizabeth's eyes widened in fear. A second later she cried out as she was let go and fell to the floor. "Angela."  
  
Angela turned back to face her mother. "What."  
  
"You must kill him."  
  
"I know."  
  
~*Back at Angel Investigations.  
  
"Lady Elizabeth, also know as Elizabeth the Conquered, Liza the Feared, and Liza the Disgraced. She was born a mortal woman in 1731. She was a very well known prostitute, and was made a vampire in 1754. Almost half a century later she married a demon blood god named Lysos Deapothne in a separate hell dimension. The blood god was known for marrying mortal women and allowing them several centuries of torture before killing them and moving on to his next wife. Unlike his other wives, Lady Elizabeth was able to maintain her husband's favor, though for a short time. Known as the first vampire mother, Lady Elizabeth gave birth to a daughter not of Lysos' blood, though this was not discovered until the birth of Elizabeth's son Cyus, by Lysos. Lysos attempted to murder the daughter, but in turn was almost killed. In the end, Lysos managed to banish his wife and her daughter, and send hunters after them through each dimension they fled to. Lady Elizabeth became Liza the Feared through her daughters reputation. Seemingly indestructible, the daughter demonstrated more power then even the most powerful of demons. However, her power could not save her from her stepfather's wrath. She was captured by the demon god as a child, and spend almost five centuries of torture under him. Lady Elizabeth was able to free her daughter and flee."  
  
Wes stopped. "There is nothing more."  
  
"So, we are going to have to watch out for this Elizabeth woman and her kid?" Connor asked.  
  
Wes frowned. "Well, it is more than that. When a vampire, or any demon for that matter saw that crest with that symbol of a bird wing they know that the two were coming. Elizabeth is nothing but the voice. I believe it is the daughter that we have to worry about."  
  
"Don't the scriptures tell her name?" Fred asked.  
  
Wes shook his head. "It is believed that saying her name, both in ancient tongue and sematic were a curse in themselves." The group shifted uncomfortably, and felt a shiver of cold run through the hotel. 


	3. And the Two Shall Meet

I own and claim no part of Angel, the series. The plot is mine though, and I am sorry if it is similar to anyone else's.  
  
(*blah blah* is thought, just for your info)  
  
And the two shall meet...  
  
Connor smiled as he felt his fist connect with flesh. With a quick punch in the gut, Connor whipped out a stake and the vampire was history. It was a short break, for he was attacked immediately by two more of the undead, while Angel, Gunn, Cordy, Wes, and Fred were trying to hold their own against the onslaught of vampires.  
  
"Where are all these vampires coming from?" Fred cried, her body tiring after several minutes of fighting. For the past three days, demons attacked the innocent by day, vampires attacked by night. The phones rang on and on, but Angel Investigations were at a dead end. Until Lorne came across an old friend who told him that demons and vampires had created a temporary alliance through an unknown force. With the help of Lorne's friend, they were able to track down the demon and vampire hide out, but were unable to assume the sheer numbers of monsters they had to face. The vampires were the only ones to remain after the demons fled from the hideout, yet by themselves, they proved to be a deadly force.  
  
Cordy managed to stake her opponent, and turned to face the next. "Angel, we can't fight them forever!"  
  
Angel looked over at his friends, a move that was rewarded with a punch in the face. Two seconds later the vampire was repaid with a stake through the heart. *What can we do? My family is going to die if I don't do something.*  
  
Struggling to get through the crowd of vampires, Angel tried to defend Fred from the three vamps attacking her. Suddenly, the vampires seized fighting. Angel and his friends watched in disbelief as they all moved away, and parted, revealing five rather large dressed in black vampires, and a hooded figure. The mysterious strangers simply stood, openly considering the good guys and with a look to the hooded person, attacked at a nod. With only five to contend with, Angel, Gunn, Wes and Connor thought it would be easy, but after several minutes with neither side managing to inflict damage on the other, Angel realized that this might take a while. Problem was, his team was already tired.  
  
Connor fought with everything, anger slowly building inside him. *They should be dead!* He watched as one of the vamps lifted Gunn several feet in the air by his neck. He dropped to the floor and spun his leg under both of the vampires' knees. Without moments hesitation, Connor sent a stake straight through his vampire's heart. Gunn took his axe and severed the other vampire's head. Gunn slowly rubbed his throat and lifted his axe in a salute to Connor. Without hesitating, Gunn went to help Angel with his fight. Connor rubbed his arm which had almost been broken by the vampire raid. He turned toward the black hooded figure. It had not moved and watched the fight, uncaring that two of it's minions had been defeated. Connor's eyes widened as out of the shadows behind it, emerged another cloaked figure, one slightly taller than the first.  
  
~~*"Hello Mother," Angela whispered.  
  
Elizabeth resisted the urge to jump, and turned to her daughter in surprise. "Angela! What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well, I decided to go for a midnight stroll, when what do I happen to smell, but the Five and You...exactly where I told you not to be."  
  
"They found out were my people were hiding out, what, I am not suppose to defend them?" Elizabeth demanded.  
  
"Defend them from what Mother? I think they are old enough to fend for themselves, and if they can't then they should be dead, for we have no need for them! It doesn't matter anyway, because no one has the power to defeat me, and certainly don't have the knowledge and resource to find out how to get it."  
  
Elizabeth smiled. "Maybe they don't have the power to defeat you, but definitely the balls. If I remember correctly."  
  
Angela's face formed a mask of disgust. "God Mother, must you be so crude. It is so unnece-" She was unable to form the last word as dagger came flying past, barely missing her face.  
  
"Don't hide behind a hood you disgusting bitches!"  
  
Elizabeth and Angela looked over toward the voice, and saw a rather attractive boy with a smug smile on his face. Elizabeth sighed. "Hmm. Under normal circumstances he would be fun to play with, but I am feeling rather annoyed today, so I think I'll just kill him."  
  
"No."  
  
Elizabeth looked over at her daughter, startled.  
  
"He is mine." Angela removed her cloak and hood, revealing a simple snug black top and black pants. She looked over at the boy and bowed her head. "As you wished. No more hiding. Now we will settle this."  
  
Connor's smiled had wavered when he watched a beautiful girl seem to flow out of the black cloak. Now he realized with a small pang of regret, that he was going to have to kill her. She attacked first, with a fast kick that almost hit his testicular area. "Wow," he cried. "A little below the belt lady!"  
  
Angela smiled, "You never said there were any rules." She punched him in the face and he followed with a side punch that she blocked. Connor moved to punch the face, and his hand was grabbed. Using his balance, Angela turned her body to be spooned by his, and used her back as leverage tossed him over her shoulder. Connor jumped up, and twirled a dagger in his hand. Angela eyed the dagger with a smile. Connor grinned, "I never said there were any rules!"  
  
A flurry of punches and kicks followed, before Connor was able to catch her off guard. Though she was able to block her chest, Connor was able to cut her arm in a horizontal slash. Blood flowed from wound, and Angela looked down at it with a startled expression. Then she looked up at Connor and grinned. Her punches became faster, and Connor had a hard time keeping up with her. Finally, Angela twisted both of his arms behind him, causing Connor to drop the dagger. Grabbing the back of his shirt, she fell backwards, taking him with her. She braced his back on her feet and kicked him over her head. Quicker than could be seen, she was on her feet, dagger in hand. She knelt down next to Connor and held it against his throat.  
  
Connor's body froze.  
  
"That was very good! You drew blood. You have potential, a lot of potential." Her smile seemed genuine. Connor turned his gaze away from the dagger and looked into his opponent's eyes. A tingly sensation spread throughout his body, and he watched as her smile faded and her eyes widened in horror. "Oh God...Connor," she whispered. Angela stood up and backed away from him like he was the plague. She looked over to the still fighting members of Angel Investigations. They were fighting the two remaining members of the Five, the best of the fighters. Her eyes searched the group and when she found Angel, her already pale face paled to an almost paper white. "Brax, Dravin, return," she called. The two remaining black clothed vampires turned away from the fight and headed back to where Angela was standing.  
  
"You are going to kill them all, right? Why didn't you just kill them?" A brave vampire from the original battle demanded. Angela turned furious eyes to it, and the vampire screamed as he was engulfed in flames. Angela looked at the shocked crowd of undead. "Anyone else have any questions?"  
  
"Good then...ah." Angela stumbled forward slightly. A second later, she fell forward onto her knees. Brax and Dravin bent and picked up her semi- unconcious form, knocking Connor over in an attempt to get to his feet.  
  
Lady Elizabeth rushed forward and glanced at her daughter's sallow expression and knew immediately the cause. "The fool. Take her home. Put her in her bed, and wait for me. Stop for nothing." Brax and Dravin nodded.  
  
"There has been enough destruction for one evening," Elizabeth called to Angel and his friends, her face hidden behind her hood. "You have seen what I can bring down upon your pathetic little city. Now we almost stole one of your own from you. Do not interfere with our plans, and you will be spared." With that, Lady Elizabeth disappeared into the shadows. Quickly, the remaining vampires fled, and the demon killers were left by themselves.  
  
"What the hell was that all about?" Gunn asked.  
  
"I don't know," Wesley said, "but if what I saw was correct, the all powerful demon-girl has a weakness."  
  
"What is it?" Connor asked as he strode back to them, dusty off his clothes.  
  
"I am not exactly sure, but this does mean that she is not invincible," Wes answered.  
  
"Well, that is good enough...for now," Angel said.  
  
A/N...Okay, finished this one. Sorry about the delay. I've been a little busy, and had a bad case of writers block, as you may have noticed from my quality of work in the past chapter...anyway, hope you enjoyed this one. Please review, tell me what you think, what you think I did wrong, what I did right, ya know! Thanks. 


	4. In Depth

I own and claim no part of Angel, the series. Only the plot is mine, and sorry if it is similar to anyone else's.  
  
.........  
  
In Depth...  
  
Elizabeth hurried through the jagged corridors a velvet pouch in hand, and stopped in front of a long cloth that covered the doorway of Angela's make- shift room. Inside she could hear the crash and banging sound of things being thrown around and broken. "AHHHHHH!"  
  
Elizabeth entered the room, and ducked, as a glass cup hurled toward her face. With a loud bang, the cup broke into a million pieces. Elizabeth rose to her feet, only to be pushed forcefully back against the wall, her daughter's arm applying pressure to her throat. Though Elizabeth had no need to breathe, she knew that she was walking on thin ice with Angela. She had seen many occasions when here daughter was in a killing mood, and the vampire or demon caught in her fury was given a long, painful death. Her daughter now had that same wild look in her eye, the kind that even Lysos had feared. A look that sometimes caused the end of worlds, and now was focused directly on her. "Is there a problem sweetie?"  
  
"You knew, didn't you? You knew about the boy," she snarled angrily. Elizabeth felt a hot tingly feeling begin in the pit of her stomach. Not a good sign.  
  
"I suspected. I hoped it was untrue, since some prophecies remain undone, but obviously this one is not one of those," Elizabeth said. Angela's face contorted into a deep mask of anger and disgust. "I thought that if you knew, you wouldn't come here."  
  
Angela released her mother. "And do you so know my heart, mother, that you can tell exactly what I want and feel?"  
  
In that moment, Elizabeth realized she knew absolutely nothing about her daughter. Angela was not into talking much, and no matter how hard she tried, Elizabeth could never figure out what she was thinking, which made her a dangerous ally...and an even more dangerous enemy. "I did what I thought was best-"  
  
"Yes, you love to do that mother...unfortunately, you do what is best for you and only you. How...considerate of you," Angela sneered. She placed fingers to massage her temple. "I do not feel like...getting into this right now. I feel..."  
  
Elizabeth put the velvet pouch in Angela's view. "You are getting sick again. You must drink." From within the pouch she drew a large crystal vial. Within the vial was blood, pure and crimson red. "Here." She put her hand out with the vial.  
  
Angela turned away and walked to the opposite rock wall. She wrapped her arms around her waist, as she felt a familiar pain.  
  
"You must drink," Elizabeth told her. "It is your nature. You can not deny yourself this for much longer." She put the vial on a small makeshift desk near Angela's door, and exited.  
  
Angela moved away from the wall and turned toward the vial, eying it like it was something that would attack her at any moment. Reluctantly, she walked over to the desk and removed the crystal stopper. She placed the vial to her lips, and after a moment's hesitation, swallowed it all down. Angela could feel the blood enter her bloodstream, sending fire through her veins. Almost immediately, the pain stopped, and she began to feel the power seep once again through her bones and consume her heart. Loathing filled Angela's being, and she through the vial to the wall and watched as it broke into a million tiny pieces. Her gaze found her reflection in the mirror in a small groove in the wall. Without warning, the mirror cracked, distorting her reflection.  
  
.........  
  
The morning sun shone through the door of the Hyperion Hotel, also known as Angel Investigations. Wesley sat at the front desk of the hotel, pouring through several books on demonology. Angel walked slowly down the stairs.  
  
"Whatcha doing Wesley?" Though still a bit tense over the fact that Wesley had given his son over to Holtz, an enemy of Angel's, the vampire knew that the Englishman had done what he thought was the right thing.  
  
Wesley looked up from 'Nirthao Demon Illnesses: How to Heal or Destroy a Demon.' "I am researching a way to kill the Demon-Girl," he said simply. "Though ancient texts do mention her sparingly, it fails to mention whether she is immortal or not. After watching her little bout of dizziness, we can assume that for all her alleged power, she can be easily defeated."  
  
"Well, she sure as hell can fight," Connor murmured from the top of the stairs. "She almost broke both of my arms."  
  
"You should have been more careful," Angel scolded. "Stop being so damn cocky, it doesn't help you, trust me."  
  
"I fight the way I want. I was The Destroyer in Quor'toth, remember? I think I can handle myself. I have been pretty successful so far."  
  
"All except for last night," Angel reminded him impatiently. "If the demon girl hadn't hesitated, or stopped, you would be dead right now." Though he tried to hide it, Angel's voice was dripping with concern.  
  
Wesley sat up straighter from his seat, and closed the book. "Why did she stop Connor? She doesn't strike me as one to simply give up a kill."  
  
Connor turned his scowl from his father, to Wesley. Shrugging lightly, he mumbled, "I don't know. We looked at each other, the next thing I know, she stands up and walks away from me."  
  
Wesley stood up, interest apparent all over his face. "Did she say anything?"  
  
Connor raised an eyebrow. "She said my name. Nothing much else. I got this weird feeling in my stomach when I looked in her eyes though."  
  
Wesley turned away from Angel and Connor, and rummaged threw the many piles of books on the table behind the front counter. "Wes?" Angel asked.  
  
Wesley turned to them with a smile of satisfaction. He flipped through a book that was called, 'Children of Lesser Demons, vol. 2.' Connor rolled his eyes. *Book nerd.* He thought.  
  
"Why didn't I think of it before? It was right there under my nose!" Wesley scolded himself.  
  
"Wesley, what are you talking about?" Angel demanded.  
  
"This," Wesley said, stopping at a particular page that was titled simply, 'Angela of Pithorsos.' On the page was a terrible sketch of the girl that Connor had battled the night before. Though the sketch was a horrible example of the girl, her features and eyes proved to Angel and Connor that this was the same girl.  
  
"'Daughter of a vampire sired in 1754. Her mother was later married to the demon Lysos, who later gave his wife the power to conceive his children. Her true father is not known, though it is for certain that Lysos is not her sire. Though born in the Hell Dimension Thernassos, dominion of Lysos Deapothne, Angela the Immortal is linked to the Hell Dimension Pithorsos, where after escaping over half a century of torture given by the demon Fkroko under Lysos' command, she established control. The murder of the former monarchy of Pithorsos through the demoness' hand was followed by her self-appointment to the throne. Since her rule began, she declared peace with the Hell Dimensions, Graniscus, Thryusos, and...Pylea.'" Wesley paused as Angel and Connor looked up to see a worried Lorne coming down the stairs. The demon hurried to the front desk and told Wes to continue. "'Her two hundred year rule ended abruptly, when the demoness placed a far removed relative of the former monarchal line on the throne as her regent, and spent the next two centuries traveling through the dimensions with her mother, Elizabeth who had fled from her husband's fury. Her last known whereabouts were in the Hell Dimension Pylo, where she managed to murder several members of the a demon cult known for the massacre of humans and demons for sacrifice to blood gods. She is known to posses the abilities of telepathy, pyrokinesis, telekinesis, and blood lust, as she is part vampire. One look into this powerful demon's eyes and your entire life will be known. Her eyes have also brought death to those who look into them.'"  
  
Connor frowned. "Angela? Her name is Angela? I thought it would be some long ass demon name, like Lorne's real name."  
  
"Hey," Lorne objected. "My name is fine, thank you, and if you haven't remembered, her mother is part vampire, so she was human once."  
  
Wesley re-examined the book. "I don't know why I didn't see the connection before. I didn't think to look in here, since I believed that her father had to be a powerful demon. It would make sense to put her name here, since she has no father, at least no one knows who he is." He looked at Connor. "So what you felt was her searching through your past. That's how she knew your name."  
  
"Yeah, but that doesn't explain why she backed off. Wouldn't she have killed him anyway?" Angel asked.  
  
"Yes, well that is a question that will probably remain unanswered," Wesley said.  
  
"Not really. You could ask me why. That would seem the obvious choice," chimed in a amused voice. 


	5. The Deal

I own and claim no part of Angel, the series. Only the characters unfamiliar to the Angel series are created by me, and sorry if this fic is similar to anyone else's.  
  
.......  
  
The Deal  
  
.......  
  
All heads turned to the front door of the Hyperion, as Angela stood poised above the lobby steps.  
  
The whole group stiffened in shock. "What is the matter? I thought you would be happy to see me! I am the person you have been looking for, right?"  
  
"Angel, I think I found something on how to destroy the demon women!" Fred said happily, as she ran down the hotel room stairs, book in hand. She stopped halfway down, as she noticed the girl for the first time. "Oh. I guess that wasn't the best time to say that."  
  
"Oh don't worry on my account. I am not surprised. This being your dimension and all, you have to save it from demons like me. Quite understandable. I am not here to kill any of you, though I doubt you will believe me."  
  
"Why should we?" Wesley demanded. "We know your history." He waved the book in the air.  
  
"Oh really?" Angela asked. She walked cautiously forward, as Angel, and Connor stood ready to attack. She took the book carefully from Wesley's hands, and looked down at the page. Her face crinkled in horror. "That is the ugliest sketch of me I have ever seen," she whispered. Her eyes flew down the page, to the two paragraphs that described her life, and smiled. "History sucks. No matter what you know about it, there are always the little, or even sometimes big details that are left out. History is written by men, and the winners. Though this history of mine is the closest I've seen so far to the truth."  
  
"And what is the truth exactly?" Connor asked.  
  
"The truth is, I could care less about this pathetic little dimension you call home. Though it is quite nice compared to some of the dimensions I have visited, it is not exactly a place I would want to rule over much less fight for. So," she said a huge smile on her face, "how about we make a deal?"  
  
"We don't make deals with murderers, and a demon murderer at that," Fred called out, as she joined the others, and was safely positioned behind Angel.  
  
Angela's smiled disappeared, and her more familiar expression of nothingness reappeared. "How about you hear the deal first, little girl, before you dismiss it."  
  
"Little girl?" Fred demanded, obviously offended. A little annoyed that she was always seen as fragile, and helpless, Fred at least knew that she looked older that the girl before her.  
  
"Though in this dimension I am technically only 199, in the other dimensions I have lived for over a thousand years. Either way, I am older than you child."  
  
Fred blushed. "Point taken." She turned away, a surprised expression on her face as she mouthed 'a thousand years!' Connor caught her actions, and suppressed a smile.  
  
"What is the deal?" Angel asked calmly, in his brooding tone.  
  
"Simple. I kill all the demons and vampires in my mother's army, and then hand over my mother to you do deal with."  
  
"What do you want in return?" Suspicion had entered into Angel's voice.  
  
"Also very simple. Two vampires of my choosing, one human--" she watched as Angel shifted in agitation and opened his mouth to immediately deny her request. She quickly rushed on, "that will not be killed. The human is only needed for a small ritual. Two vampires, a human, and the blood of a specific empath demon."  
  
"Why not get the blood yourself?" Angel asked.  
  
"Meyrith is a little...sensitive, toward me. He and I met on one of my journeys, and I know for a fact, that seeing me will definitely not make him happy. I couldn't get within 50 yards of him without him knowing." She sighed. "After I get what I need, the human will be released, I will disappear, and never," she looked toward the front door, "darken your doorway again."  
  
"This is all you want?" Angel asked. The girl nodded. Angel pondered for several moments.  
  
"Angel, you don't mean to give into this thing's demands, do you?" Wes asked incredulously. Angel looked at him for several more seconds, then looked back to Angela, who was eyeing Wesley furiously over the 'thing' comment.  
  
"Done," Angel said, and as Angela's face broke out in a triumphant grin, he added, "But if anything goes wrong, or you betray us, no matter where you go, I will find you, and kill you!"  
  
"Angel, you can't be serious!" Fred cried.  
  
Angel turned to his family. "Look, it is the easiest way to get rid of this whole business. Besides, we have nothing to lose. A lot of people are dying already. I don't want this to turn into another massacre like with the Beast. If I can solve this with a minimum of bloodshed, then I will." He turned back to Angela. "We'll keep our end of the bargain, as long as you keep yours."  
  
Angela smiled wistfully. "Don't worry...Angel, is it? Don't worry, when this is all over, you'll never see me again. Meet me behind the Mandocks Warehouse tomorrow night at 10 pm. Come fully armed if you want. Just be prepared for a battle. Some vampires and demons might try to escape the slaughter." With that, the girl turned and left through the front door.  
  
Connor turned to Angel. "Are you crazy? She will never keep her end of the bargain!"  
  
Angel shrugged. "I don't know. She just might. She didn't kill you. Besides, I don't see any other options."  
  
"Why don't we just kill her?" Connor asked. "It is what we normally do."  
  
"Hey, if it were that easy, why hasn't anyone been able to do it before?" Angel asked. Angel and Connor turned toward the basement door when they heard a whooshing sound.  
  
"Did you hear that?" Connor asked.  
  
Angel went over to the basement door, opened it, peered down, then walked down the steps. Everyone waited in tense silence, then almost sighed in relief when Angel reappeared. "Nothing. Maybe it was a draft or something."  
  
Lorne finally piped up, after leaning against the front desk, a thoughtful look on his face. "Did she just walk out the front door in clear daylight?"  
  
Cordelia Chase chose that moment to walk through the door, Gunn following close behind, both with grocery bags in their hands. "Hey ya'll, what did we miss?" Cordy asked. She took in the shocked faces of the hotels inhabitants. "What?"  
  
........  
  
Angela walked into the underground hideout, unable to suppress her elation. Her smile faded as she noticed her mother sitting on a flat rock, watching her every move. Elizabeth smiled bitterly. "And what are you so happy about?"  
  
"Well, mother, if you must know, everything is finally working out for me. Soon I'll have exactly what I have always wanted, and you'll have no reason to run from Lysos anymore."  
  
"Ah. So you have found a way to achieve your goal?" Elizabeth asked.  
  
"Yes. In less then two days, everything will be perfect," Angela announced happily. She turned to move down the corridor to her 'room.'  
  
"You bitch."  
  
Angela paused, mid-step. "Excuse me?" she demanded, whirling around.  
  
"After everything I have done for you! I gave birth to you for Chrissake! I followed you around like a god damned puppy for centuries, taking care of you, loving you, and you would betray me like this? To Him!" Elizabeth screamed.  
  
Angela's face became stony, and frighteningly dismissive. "Give it up mother. You followed me around because you knew that as long as I was there, no one would touch you...as for the loving me part. Don't make me laugh. Let's see how much you have loved me so far, shall we? You gave birth to me, then abandoned me when you discovered I was not of Lysos' blood. You only accepted me back when a seer told you how important I was. You didn't even name me, the seer did. When I was barely a decade old, you allowed your husband to submit me to torture---"  
  
"I did not! I don't know how he was able to---"  
  
"Bullshit mother...only you and that seer knew about my weaknesses, and you made sure the seer wasn't alive to reveal anything to anyone now didn't you?" Angela interrupted. "Even if it wasn't your fault, you waited five centuries---five hundred years, to free me from that torment. Now I will get what I have wanted since the day I was born."  
  
"And what is that exactly?" Elizabeth asked, her pale face livid.  
  
"Freedom." In the blink of an eye, Angela was at her mother's side, and using both of her hands, she hit the stunned vampire on head in such a way that knocked Elizabeth unconscious. She grabbed her mother's falling form. "Sorry mom. You are just getting in my way far too much." 


	6. Demon Blood

I own no part of Angel, the series, and claim no rights. This plot is created by me, and any similarities to anyone else's is purely coincidental, and not intended.  
  
............................................  
  
Demon Blood  
  
............................................  
  
Later that night, Angel and his friends headed downtown, to a small abandoned motel. With Lorne's help, they had managed to find the Empath Demon known as Meyrith. With the information came a warning. "Be careful Angel," Lorne had warned. "I don't know what happened when Demon-Girl and Meyrith met, but now he is beyond paranoia. The boy is crazy. If he feels threatened he will lash out. The boy is nothing short of insanely dangerous."  
  
Angel, Connor and Gunn approached the motel cautiously, aware of several homeless people and drug addicts that roamed the halls. Noticeably, not one of the people who now squatted in the abandoned rooms dared to go to the second floor, the section Angel had been told was lived in by Meyrith. As they began to walk up the stairs, they bristled at the disgusting odors emanating from an open doorway. They hurried quickly passed it and stopped in front of a door marked '215'. Angel and Gunn positioned themselves on either side of the door, while Connor used his feet to knock in the door.  
  
Rushing in, they came face to face with a pale pink empath demon. Meyrith had jumped up when he heard his door broken open. Cigarette in hand he stared at the trio with a mixture of shock and anger. "I thought I told you idiots to stay out!" he cried. "I don't have any money or drugs, and unless you want to be dead--" he paused. "Who are you? You aren't like the others."  
  
Angel nodded his head. "You Meyrith?"  
  
The demon blinked. He turned away from them and went to sit on a dusty cushioned chair. "Meyrith is dead. Didn't you get the memo?" He murmured.  
  
"Look...whatever you are, we know you are Meyrith, so don't deny it," Gunn told him.  
  
"If you knew it was me, then why did you ask the question?" Meyrith asked, flicking the ashes of his cigarette.  
  
"We don't have time for this," Connor said.  
  
"Time for what?" Meyrith asked, a small note of fear creeping into his voice.  
  
"Think of us as you friendly Blood Bank. We are here for a contribution, so we can do this the easy way or the hard--"  
  
Meyrith jumped up and ran toward the windows on the opposite wall.  
  
"Why do they always choose the hard way?" Angel asked, before grabbing Meyrith by the ankles and dragging him back.  
  
"What the hell is this about?" Meyrith screamed.  
  
"Look, we are not going to kill you," Angel told him impatiently, "we just need some blood for a friend of yours."  
  
Meyrith stopped struggling. "I have no friends."  
  
"We know," Connor said, "It's just an old acquaintance you met once on the road."  
  
Gunn took out the knife, but just before he could pierce Meyrith's flesh, the demon kicked him hard in the stomach, arched his back and wiggled out of Angel's grasp. His eyes had glazed over, and he looked crazed and scared out of his mind. "You mean Her," he whispered. "I thought I had felt Her...I didn't want to believe she was here. This can only mean..." Meyrith sank onto the bed in the corner of the room. Angel, Connor and Gunn eyed the demon untrustingly. "I've had nightmares every night since the day I met her. I didn't know what she was, I swear I didn't. She looked so human, and I was so bored, I needed someone to play with. Then out of nowhere, like my dreams were answered comes this...human. So young looking...I thought it was going to be fun."  
  
Gunn looked over to Angel. "Should we care about this?" he whispered, so only Angel and Connor could hear. Angel shrugged, and replied, "Whatever gets him to give us the blood easier."  
  
Meyrith continued, almost oblivious to the fact that anyone was in the room. "She seemed so sweet. I searched her emotions, and found the usually human ones....hopelessness, despair, self-loathing, anger...but there was one emotion she was lacking--fear. She intrigued me so much. It was then that she told me she knew exactly what I had planned to do to her. She looked in my eyes...god, how I wish I had just left then, instead thinking I was a bad-ass demon. She knew, in that moment I could tell, she knew everything I had done, every thing I had killed. There was anger, a lot of anger, all directed at me. In that moment I realized what she was, and felt something in my belly. I thought I was going to die, but I think she knew the better punishment for my sins. She let me live. She let me see every person I had murdered."  
  
Connor shrugged. *Ugh, okay? Why the hell would that freak him out so much.*  
  
Meyrith glanced at them. "I know what you think. And no, I didn't give a rat's ass about the pictures of my victims. I was the one who did those things to them after all. No, it was the pictures that followed that did it. Murders, massacres, tortures of human and demon, images that will haunt me forever. The things done...not even I would subject my worse enemy to." He shuddered at the mere mention of the memories. "Then she showed me death...mine. How I would die, by whose hand. Since then, I haven't been able to lay a hand on a single human. The images are to strong. They torment me night after night."  
  
Angel shifted from one foot to another. "Okay. Well, uh, now we will be getting the blood from you and leave you to your...whatever."  
  
"Do you know why she wants it?" Meyrith whispered.  
  
"Do you?" Angel asked sharply.  
  
Meyrith smiled. "The Heavens turn away the accursed. Yet she is three times cursed. By her mother, by her father...and by herself. She will risk Hell, to be free."  
  
..............................................  
  
Angela gently stroked her unconscious mother's hair, softly humming a lullaby she had once heard a women in a poor part of London sing to her babes. Angela had laid out her mother's body on a flat rock surface, waiting for the return of Brax and Dravin. Quietly, the two male vampires entered, looking anxiously for a moment at Elizabeth's sleeping form then back to their true mistress.  
  
"Well?" Angela asked, her hands still stroking Elizabeth's hair.  
  
"They have done it. Meyrith has given them his blood," Brax told her obediently.  
  
"Were there any problems?"  
  
"None my lady," Dravin supplied. "They left unharmed."  
  
"And Meyrith?"  
  
"We did as you asked," Brax answered.  
  
"Good. Take my mother to the holding. Chain her up. She will be getting visitors soon. I don't want her killing them...it would show bad manners," Angela softly brushed her lips against her mothers brow, then moved aside, as Brax carried Elizabeth away.  
  
Dravin walked quietly behind his mistress. "You realize what you are doing?"  
  
"Yes," Angela said. "Don't not fear for yourself Dravin. I have taken care of everything."  
  
"I don't care about that. You do realize when this is all over, it can not be undone?" Dravin asked.  
  
Angela smiled bitterly. "I am very well aware of that. This is what I want. And I will have it. No one will stop me." She laughed sadly. "This could have all been avoided if she had just told me about the boy." With that she left to her 'room'.  
  
Brax returned, joining Dravin in staring fiercely toward Angela's retreating back.  
  
"It is decided?" Brax asked.  
  
Dravin nodded.  
  
"Then we know what we must do."  
  
..........................................................  
  
The next evening, all was quiet. Shadows of unknown dangers reflected from the overhead lights. Angel and his friends walked toward the Mandocks Warehouse, their car not to far away, but enough to hopefully not make their presence known. The area was empty, the night cool and undisturbed. "Where the hell is she," Connor growled.  
  
"She'll be here," Angel said, though he was beginning to believe she had betrayed them.  
  
"This is a trap Angel. We have to get out of here," Cordy said.  
  
From the shadows, a black cloaked figure appeared. "Your confidence in me is so motivational. I'm here. You have the blood?"  
  
Angel handed her the small glass bottle filled with the empath demon's blood.  
  
Angela tossed the bottle over her shoulder, much to the group's dismay.  
  
"What the hell?" Connor demanded.  
  
Out of the darkness, a hand came into the light, caught the bottle and disappeared.  
  
Angela smiled. "Shall we?" Without waiting for a reply, she turned and quietly opened the warehouse door.  
  
************************  
  
A/N: Hope you liked it. It was kind of subdued, but I will get into the whole reason behind everything the Demon-Girl is doing really soon! Next chapter coming up, and please review! Tell me what you think, and take care! 


	7. Betrayal

I own and claim no rights to Angel, the series. Only characters unfamiliar to Ats, are original, and mine.  
  
........................................  
  
Betrayal  
  
........................................  
  
Angel and his friends followed the demon-vampire into the warehouse, and were met with the startling vision of hundreds of vampires and demons all over. Some were on the floors, others lay on the second floor landing, others in the office far on the other side of the room. Many were piled on top of the others, the vampires were slowly awakening, as the very last ray of sunlight left the horizon. The demons were sound asleep, their duties of mayhem and murder done for the day. The different demon types stuck together with their own kind, sleeping in large group piles, not mixing with the vampires, or the other types of demons beside their own. Silently, Angela stepped over several of the moving vampire bodies. A few of them rose to their feet, and stretched. For a moment, Angel and his friends feared that they would see them, and for the millionth time in the past few hours, they contemplated the repercussions if this was in fact a trap. But not a single vampire looked in their direction. Instead, almost like in trances, they were riveted to the vision of Angela moving to the center of the room. By the time she made it through the obstacles of bodies and narrow moving space to the center of the room, Angel and the others couldn't see her over the now fully woken crowd of vampires. They heard her clearly however, as her voice filled the room, "You have served my mother well. You have created mayhem, disorder, fear, everything you were suppose to. However, your services are no longer needed. Unfortunately I can not simply let you all go, for you must answer for all that you have done. I do not like doing what I am about to do, but it is necessary. I am sorry."  
  
There was a murmur among the vampires as they stared at her confusingly. The door to the warehouse slammed shut, and much to Angel's consternation, locked. Angel and Connor's keen hearing could pick up the low hum of energy, as it was emitted throughout the room, released in thick and hot waves. Screams of fear erupted a moment later, as the entire circle directly in front of Angela were engulfed in flames. Almost as if in slow motion, the faces of the vampires became aware of exactly what was happening. What followed was pandemonium, as the vampires and now awake demons scrabbled to escape the wrath of this girl before them. As the crowd thinned away from the center of the room, Angel, Connor, Gunn, Fred, Wesley and Cordelia were presented with an image that for most of them, if they had seen only a few years ago, would have shocked them.  
  
Angela's unburnt body was covered in flames, one hand covering the other, her hair bellowing straight up in the air. Waves of flame left her body and touched the vampires and demons, who disappeared seconds later. In a matter of a little more than a minute, more half of the whole warehouse disappeared in a burst of flames. The other half either clawed for a way out, or begged for their lives. Oblivious to it all, Angela continued her merciless massacre of the many evil beings. Angel and posse only contended with the vampires or demons that happened in their direction. Most didn't even notice that they were killing their fellow kind, all that matter to the decreasing number was escape. Then Cordy noticed something a little disturbing.  
  
"Um, Angel?" she said frantically.  
  
"Yeah?" Angel answered, as he moved aside to get out of the way of a very hysterical female vampire.  
  
"The flames are getting a little close, don't you think?"  
  
The group turned their attention to the increasing wave of fire, as it inched closer and closer to them. "Oh shit," Gunn murmured.  
  
"What do we do?" Fred cried.  
  
They heard a soft laugh, and looked to Angela. "You trust me to now, yet at every trying time, you turn away. Trust me." As the last word let her lips, a huge explosion of flames left the girls body, overtaking the whole room. The group stood together in a tight circle, and felt incased in a bubble like protective layer. They could feel the heat, even reach out and touch the fire, but it flowed around them like water flowed around a rock above the surface of a stream. Within moments, Angela, Connor, Angel, Gunn, Fred, Cordy, Wes, and a demon were the only remaining beings within the warehouse.  
  
The demon looked around, fear and insane panic all over his eyes, as they all watched Angela slowly ceased flaming, her hair flowed down her back. She crooked her head at the demon, and in a blind of an eye was by his side. "You know who I am, and what I have done. I spared you to tell you this. You or anyone else mess with what is mine, I will find you, and kill you! Can you be a dear and spread that around for me?" she asked him sweetly.  
  
Carefully, the demon nodded. The warehouse door unlocked with a bang, and then with an even louder slam, opened. "Then go."  
  
If their were demon olympics, that sucker would have gotten the gold! Angela turned to Connor and his friends with a huge smile. "Okay, we are done. I have kept my end."  
  
"Wait, you haven't given us Lady Elizabeth!" Fred commented.  
  
"Ah, yes, that. Well, that will be a problem right now, since she fled from our little hideout this afternoon." She surveyed their blank expressions. "Our hide out was in the sewers."  
  
"Ah," Cordy sighed.  
  
"I have my men trailing her right now. We can go together to get her if you want," Angela told them good-naturedly. Connor eyed her suspiciously.  
  
"Why?" he asked.  
  
"I dunno, maybe because I am the only one who can pick up my boys scents? Just a thought," she exclaimed. "Hey, if I wanted to kill you, why didn't I just do it in there? You were cornered, their was no way you could have gotten out. It would have been so easy. But I didn't. I want this deal over and done with." She looked at them with a sincere expression of wanting, which made Connor and Angel even more suspicious, but they had to admit, it would have been so much easier to just get rid of them in there.  
  
Angel shrugged. "Fine."  
  
..........................................................  
  
They speed down town, through back streets, past abandoned buildings, until Angela's nose picked up Dravin and Brax in an abandoned apartment building. They all hurried up the stairs to the first floor cautiously.  
  
"Okay, it will be better if we split up," Angel told them. "Watch out for yourselves."  
  
Before Angela could move away, he grabbed her arm and waited until the others were out of earshot. "If you do anything to them, I swear, no matter what it takes, I will kill you!"  
  
Angela grinned. "Don't worry Angel. Your safe with me."  
  
It did nothing to appease Angel's feelings as she disappeared into the shadows. Guardedly, the vampire headed up three flights of stairs, passed the hallway that Cordy was inspecting. He opened each door quickly and quietly, until he heard a soft, but obvious sound coming from the last door at the end of the hall. Silently, he hurried down the corridor, and paused outside the door. He raised his sword into readiness, then burst through the door. The room was empty. A shadow flowed over Angel from behind, and before he could move, a beefy hand clamped over his mouth and took a firm hold of him. A syringe needle appeared in the corner of his eye and he felt a prick as the needle pierced the skin of his neck. He felt like ice was being injected into his vains, before he was swept away into the sweet darkness of oblivion.  
  
....................................................................  
  
Connor stalked the top floor of the crumbling apartment building, his body tense and waiting for an attack. He peered into the open doorway of on of the apartments, and felt a small hand touch his shoulder. He whirled around, and barely stopped himself from running his sword straight through the smiling demon-girl. "Don't do that damnit!" he whispered furiously.  
  
"Sorry Mr. Tense! I just came to ask if you have seen anything," Angela told him quietly. Connor shook his head.  
  
"Nothing. Either your vampire friends have been dusted here by your mother, or they are trapped somewhere. I haven't seen any evidence that your mom has been here at all."  
  
"Hmmm. Interesting," Angela intoned. Something in here voice made Connor look up.  
  
Angela tossed a green glass bottle in her hand, whistling softly.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" Connor demanded.  
  
"I am really sorry Connor," Angela told him. "Really I am. But I knew you wouldn't agree to what I really wanted, so I had to trick you all a little. Don't worry, it won't really hurt...much." With the final word, she sent the bottle crashing into Connor's head, and caught the boy as he fell, blood pouring down his face. She removed a cloth from her pocket and gently wiped away the blood, then added pressure. After several moments, the bleeding lessened.  
  
She heard loud footsteps coming up the stairway. Dravin and Brax appeared at the top of the stairs. "Has it been done?" she murmured, as she gently lifted Connor into her arms with surprising ease.  
  
"Yes. They are all out."  
  
"Good. We have what we came for. Let's go."  
  
*********************************  
  
A/N: Ah! *Rubs aching shoulders* Well that was fun. Next chapter is following immediately after this one...I suddenly got a burst of inspiration. Please Review! Thanks, and take care. 


	8. Let the Blood Flow

I own and claim no rights to Angel, the series. Only characters unfamiliar to Ats, are original, and mine. (The spell/ritual in here is totally made up, there is no such thing, just for your information). *This is thought, BTW*  
  
~This is a memory sequence~  
  
....................................................  
  
Let the Blood Flow  
  
.....................................................  
  
Angel opened his eyes groggily. He smelled disgusting water, and algae, and the distinct smell of human and another vampire. He lifted his throbbing head and viewed on the opposite wall, the form of a female with black hair, and even darker eyes. She smiled sinisterly, and waved, her movements making metallic sounds against the floor. It was then that Angel noticed that her arms were chained to the opposite wall. He turned away and caught sight of Connor. He was laying on his side, and Angel noticed a large gash that went from the left side of his forehead, to a couple inches shy of his ear. "Connor," Angel whispered. The boy moved slightly, then stilled.  
  
"Connor, get up," Angel said louder, and with relief watched as Connor raised glazed eyes up at him.  
  
"Reproducing seems to be a hobbie of yours Liam."  
  
Angel turned toward the female vampire who had spoken. "What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
She chuckled. "Nothing really. But I am so disappointed in you Liam. I was your favorite, and you can't even remember me!"  
  
"I don't know what you are---" Angel stopped. *She knows my human name.* "Who are you?"  
  
"Aw, Liam. I thought I was a better lay than that. You swore you would never forget me! Though why trust a drunkard's word. I just assumed since you came to the house a lot..." she trailed off, a bitter smile on her face. "Now I have been betrayed by the disgusting bitch I pushed out of me, kicking and screaming. I wish you truly had killed me!"  
  
Angel stared at her for a confused minute, his brain processing what she had said, and slowly beginning to remember exactly who this vampire was. Suddenly, the memory in his brain clicked.  
  
~1752  
  
He tossed a small coin on the table and demanded his rum. The barkeep plopped a large tankard in front of him, the foul smelling liquid sloshing over the side. Taking a large swig, Liam looked out from the side of the glass and nearly spilt the rest of his drink down his shirt. She was coming toward him. The infamous woman, THE woman you had to take to your bed. Unfortunately she was extremely picky and only choose those who caught her fancy. Liam looked on either side of him, thinking she was looking around him. But no, there was no one there. She made her way through the crowded room, and sauntered over to him, her hips swaying enticingly.  
  
"Hello," she said, her voice low and beautiful, with a small Irish lilt. "My name is Liza. Liza Gordon. And you are?"  
  
"Liam," he mutter, his voice heavy with drink.  
  
The woman smiled. "Well Liam," she said, "How about you and me go upstairs and have a little fun?" She leaned forward on tiptoe and licked some of the rum from his chin and lips. Her body shielded the actions of her hand, as she fondled the privates of the rum-addled man in front of her. Without protest, Liam followed Liza up the stairs, and didn't leave until late the next morning.  
  
For the next year he frequented that tavern. He did go to other taverns and bedded other women of course, but he always returned into Liza's waiting arms. He didn't understand his luck. Very few men became Liza's favorites, but since she never denied him, he was obviously one of them. On several occasions she even allowed him a free tumble. It was in the alley behind that tavern that next year, that he met up with a certain beautiful blonde vampire that changed his life forever.~  
  
"Liza?" Angel asked, incredulously.  
  
"Aw. You do remember me! How nice." In a sudden movement, she pulled forward violently, as far as the chains would allow. "I should be given the opportunity to kill ye, ye bastard!" she snarled, her Irish brogue returning hoarsely. She sagged back against the wall, and sighed. "I should have killed her when I knew she wasn't Lysos'. I should have..."  
  
The door to the dank chamber opened and Angela stood in the doorway, her face grim. "Yes mother. Why didn't you?"  
  
Liza didn't responded, and Angela smiled.  
  
Dravin and Brax entered, each holding chains. They grabbed Angel, who fought fiercely before Dravin grabbed the still confused Connor and put a knife to his throat. They led both Angel and Connor away in chains, while Angela was left to deal with her mother. Calmly she knelt down beside her. "Well mother, this is almost over. Soon I will be rid of you, and you of me. Doesn't that sound nice?"  
  
Liza spit into Angela's face. "You betray your own. I knew I should have murdered you in my womb when I felt the soul you held within you."  
  
Angela wiped her face with a clean clothe from her pocket. "Yes, well mom, if you had, we wouldn't be going through any of this. It was your mistake, not mine." Angela grabbed Liza by the hair and pulled her painfully up, removing the chains from the wall. "Now we end this mother."  
  
...................................................................  
  
They were led onto the Los Angeles streets, in a large van. Brax drove, while Angela and Dravin kept an eye on their 'prisoners'. Angel eyed the girl angrily.  
  
"You didn't have to do this. We might have come with you willingly," he told her.  
  
Angela eyed him with amusement. "Would you have Angel? As much as I would like to believe that, I have dealt with a lot of disappointment in my life," she said, looking pointedly at her mother, who flicked her off, "and I am really don't have the time or the patience to find out if you would or not."  
  
She paused as the van stopped in front of the warehouse they had entered their first night in Los Angeles. "Ah. Were here! Come on, everyone off the bus!"  
  
The Dravin and Brax took Angel and Liza, while Angela helped Connor stagger slowly into the door. Angela touched his forehead tenderly. "Damn it. I am sorry. I forget to hold back on some things. I must have hit you really hard."  
  
She took a ratty blanket and laid it across a long crate. While her henchmen tied Angel and Liza up, away from each other, the girl lay Connor softly on the crate, but made sure to attach his chains to an attachment on the floor. Checking him once more with a kindness that Angel didn't understand, she turned away and began to prepare what looked like an alter.  
  
"So what," Angel asked, "Are you going to sacrifice one of us or something?"  
  
Angela smiled, but didn't look away from her task. "No, but the thought has crossed my mind." She glanced quickly to her mother, who stuck her tongue out at her. Angela laughed.  
  
Half an hour later, the alter was prepared, some of the ingredients for her 'ritual' were laid out, and she was dress in a black, white outlined robe, the hood not hiding her face. She waited for the full moon to shine through the warehouse's sky windows. Positioning a gold bowl, she took a white handled knife (also known as an athame) with elaborate symbols written on the blade. Without flinching, she cut a deep gash on her wrist, and allowed the blood to pour into the bowl. "Blood of the Castor," she whispered.  
  
She dipped the point of the blade into the blood and walked to the front of her alter. She bend down and cast a circle around her form, broke it, stepped out, then put it back together. The blood from the blade identified the circle. She returned to her alter, rose her arms in the air. Then she took the bowl and went to kneel next to Connor. She caressed his face, then pressed her knife into his wrist and let a small amount of blood flow into the bowl. "The blood of one like me," she murmured softly.  
  
She rose to her feet and slowly walked over to stand before her mother. Liza tried to move away, but Angela put the bowl carefully down, and grabbed Liza by the hair. The blade pierced Liza underneath the chin, and Angela picked up the bowl and allowed some blood to drip into it. "Blood of the Mother."  
  
Angela turned to Angel, her eyes sad. He didn't fight as she pierced his arm. His blood dropped into the bowl, as Angela murmured a quiet, "Blood of the Father."  
  
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A/N: Eh. I don't know if ya'll were anticipating that or not...but come on! Angel, Angela! I gave it to ya! Anyway, review and tell me what you think. Take care! 


	9. O Father, My Father

I own and claim no rights to Angel, the series. Only characters unfamiliar to Ats, are original, and mine. (The spell/ritual in here is totally made up, there is no such thing, just for your information).  
  
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O Father, My Father  
  
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Angela turned her back from Angel and returned to her altar. Angel stared at her in shock and confusion. "What did you just say?" Angel demanded.  
  
"You heard what I said...father." Angela replied. She continued with her ritual. She added several herbs. She reached for a blue looking powder and sprinkled it into the bowl. The surface of the bowl exploded in a flash of blue light.  
  
"No," Angel told her in fierce denial. "There is no way I could be you father."  
  
Angela turned back to look at him.  
  
"Are you so sure?"  
  
Angel paused for a minute, then nodded his head vehemently. "Yes. Look, I don't know what the hell your mother has been telling you, but I am not your father. It is impossible. You were born fifty years after I last saw your mother..."  
  
"When you tried to kill me," Liza supplied dryly.  
  
Angel frowned. "Well I didn't have a soul then."  
  
"It doesn't matter, ok? The fact is, you came after me. How wonderful I must have felt," Liza muttered.  
  
Angel turned to Angela at the altar. She stood beside the bowl, her shoulders hunched, seeming to look a lot like a lost young woman, instead of a millennia year old vampire/demon. "This is beside the point. It is impossible that I am your father. Impossible. What ever your mother has told you has been a lie."  
  
Angela clutched the altar table so hard, her knuckles turned white. "My mother didn't tell me anything. She didn't even know who my father was until she was told. She didn't even believe it until I was born."  
  
"Who told her I was your dad?" Angel asked, surprise on his face.  
  
Angela looked at the bowl filled with the crimson liquid. "A seer. A demon by the name of Terrick. One of the best seers in the hell dimensions. But I already knew you were my father. I have always known, even before Liza told me."  
  
"I don't understand," Angel told her. "How can I be your father? It is impossible."  
  
Angela smiled grimly. "Yes, it is. But here I am. The truth is, I was conceived when you both were human, back in that tavern in Ireland. When my mother was changed, I should have died. Should have, but didn't. Instead, I slept. Within her body I lied dormant, where I should have remained until my mother's demise. But she met Lysos, scourge of the Hell Dimensions, and he granted her something she should never had been given. The ability to give life. And in that moment I woke, alive, and they both provided me with added power that they had not intended. Within my mother's womb I saw and understood everything there was to know. I could feel and see what was going on all around us." Angela laughed bitterly. "And we were in a hell dimension. What I saw and felt was no picnic. The images within me are born of hell, as am I. I should have died along with my mother's soul that day when the vampire took her blood. Yet I live, and each day I feel the pain and suffering of all those before me, and those in the here and now. I ache with it. For over a thousand years I have lived, an abomination in all worlds who was meant to die, but walks with the curse of power flowing through her veins. I lived. That is my shame. My ultimate shame."  
  
Liza laughed from her corner. "Shut up. You disgust me. What is it with you, huh? Did I raise an idiot or something? I mean come on. With the gifts you were born with you could rule it all. Very few demons can defeat you, you have the power, the control. But you sit around moaning about how life wasn't fair." Liza leaned forward in her chains, all smiles gone from her face. "Well get over it. You were born, much as I hate it, and there is nothing you can do about it."  
  
Angel smiled nervously. "What do you mean 'there is nothing you can do about it'?"  
  
Liza looked over at him in annoyance. "Her torturer Fkroko had tried everything: burning, slicing, suffocating, poisoning, impaling, drowning. Nothing seems to work. She dies then rises again, whole. It was quite amusing to watch though."  
  
Angela straightened and sighed. "You always did love to make me feel terrible mother."  
  
Liza waved her hands. "It's a gift. So what is this spell suppose to do exactly?"  
  
Angela started. Suddenly she remembered exactly what she had been doing. Ignoring her mother, she took the vial filled with Meyrith's blood. Quietly she whispered, "Blood of one who has seen through my eyes." The collective blood in the bowl shimmered and brightened. Soon the light became to bright for even Angel to look at. He turned away, and once the light left he looked back. Angela was removing her cloak and stirring the blood in the bowl together with the knife.  
  
Angel looked from the circle of blood drying on the floor, to the one beside it looking peaceful and serene.  
  
"What is all this Angela?" Angel asked nervously.  
  
Angela smiled. "You will see soon enough."  
  
Turning, the woman walked over to the sleeping Connor and caressed his forehead and hair. Angel watched in fear, then confusion, as Connor's head began to glow with a brilliant blue light. Then it was gone. Angela walked away and took a match from the altar and dropped it into the bowl of blood.  
  
Angel looked from his son, to...his daughter?...and seemed very confused. "What did you just do to my son?"  
  
Angela looked over at the boy and smiled. "Healed him. Soon he will wake up, normal, but with a slight headache, nothing more. Your friends will be here soon. I think I left them enough clues to get them here. When this is all over our deal will be done. I have kept my end of the bargain. You will have my mother, and the human," she said, motioning toward Connor, "Will be released, unharmed. This was the deal, and I have finished it. The keys to your chains are here, on the altar."  
  
Angel and Liza watched as Angela took the match from the bowl and it lit within Angela's hands. The fire touched the bloody circle and the outline burst into flames. Angela squeezed the match in her hand and smiled when it snuffed out.  
  
"Angela, I understand what you are doing," Angel told her.  
  
The girl turned to him and frowned. "You do?"  
  
"Yes. You are ashamed of your vampire half. It is okay to feel that way. To need blood to survive, to be feared, hell I am ashamed of it. There is nothing wrong with trying to destroy your vampire half!" Angel exclaimed.  
  
Angela laughed. "Is that what you think? That I am trying to use a spell to get rid of my vampire half?"  
  
Angel nodded, uncertain.  
  
"If only it were that simple. No father, that is not what I intend. For freedom of my torment, only one thing will satisfy me. Death," she told them, her voice rising.  
  
Liza laughed. "Are you crazy? You can't do it."  
  
"I couldn't have done it before, but I can now. I found a witch with a spell that would eliminate me from this world, and very existence. Powerful enough to kill a god, but difficult to do. It takes over three hundred years of preparation. Then you have a specific time frame in which to complete the spell. My time would have been up in less than a decade. I was only missing one ingredient. The boy. My brother. The person had to be somewhat of my blood, born through similar impossible circumstances such as I was. I thought it was an impossibility, but I took the three hundred years with the urging of the witch. Now I am finally going to be free. Like Meyrith."  
  
"What do you mean 'like Meyrith'?" Angel demanded.  
  
"Dravin and Brax freed him from the torture he has suffered through my hands. He no longer has to live with the images of hatred and hell. Soon I will join him, and forget the destiny I should have fulfilled. To die without being born." She took the bowl and threw it into the circle. The whole area within the circle burst into a brilliant blue fire, blazing in what seemed hotter than any sun. "There was once a time I believed in heaven. I hope it is real...and that they find it in them to let me in. Goodbye father. Take care of my little brother, okay?"  
  
Without another word she jumped into the blue flames. The flames swallowed her in its light, while Angel watched hopelessly chained up to the wall. His cry of "NO!" was mingled with the painful screams of his daughter. Angel turned away, as her screams continuing in the night.  
  
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A/N: Ok, I took a LONG time to update. I am soooooo sorry! I was busy with school and a play and all that. But, anyway, here it is, and the next chapter will be up as soon as I have time. Please tell me what you think of this chapter ok? R/R. 


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